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Home , Daniel Ezralow, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Royce Hall, Ryan Heffington

2018 BAM Next Wave Festival #BAMNextWave

Brooklyn Academy of Music

Adam E. Max, Katy Clark, BAM Board Chair President

William I. Campbell and Nora Ann Wallace Joseph V. Melillo, BAM Board Vice Chairs Executive Producer Halfway to Dawn David Roussève / REALITY

BAM Harvey Theater Dec 5­—8 at 7:30pm

Running time: approx. 1 hour 50 minutes, including intermission

Written, choreographed, and directed by David Roussève Music by Billy Strayhorn Lighting design by Chris Kuhl Video art by Cari Ann Shim Sham Sound design by d. Sabela grimes Costume design by Leah Piehl Dramaturgy by L. MSP Burns

Season Sponsor:

Leadership support for at the BAM Harvey and the BAM Fisher provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

Leadership support for dance at BAM provided by The Harkness Foundation for Dance

Major support for dance at BAM provided by The SHS Foundation

Chubb is a Lead Sponsor of BAM

Halfway to Dawn

BERNARD BROWN RAYMOND EJIOFOR DEZARÉ FOSTER

JASMINE JAWATO KEVIN LE JULIO MEDINA

SAMANTHA MOHR LEANNE IACOVETTA POIRIER KEVIN WILLIAMSON Halfway to Dawn

PERFORMED BY Bernard Brown Julio Medina Raymond Ejiofor Samantha Mohr Dezaré Foster Leanne Iacovetta Poirier Jasmine Jawato Kevin Williamson Kevin Le

ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION CREDITS Screen design & fabrication Mary Hale Technical director Chris Kuhl Tour manager/assistant TD Katelan Braymer

COMMISSIONED BY ArtPower at UC San Diego; Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans; Kelly Strayhorn Theater, Pittsburgh; Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; NC State LIVE, Raleigh; REDCAT, .

SPECIAL THANKS Arsenio Apillanes, Casey Brown, Lynn Dally, Ken Foster, Susan Foster, Conor McTeague, David Roman, NYU Tisch Dance, UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, Joe Melillo, and the entire staff at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

FUNDING Halfway to Dawn was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Halfway to Dawn is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation Fund Project co-commissioned by REDCAT in partnership with ARTPower at UC San Diego, Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans, the Kelly Strayhorn Theater, and NPN. The Creation Fund is supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency). npnweb.org.

Halfway to Dawn was created with the generous support of UCLA Chancellor’s office research funds.

Halfway to Dawn was created in part during a development residency at the Pillow Lab at Jacob’s Pillow Dance, technical residencies at NC State LIVE, REDCAT and Kaufman Hall UCLA and a video art residency at NYU Tisch Dance.

For booking information, contact Sophie Myrtil-McCourty, Lotus Arts Management. Tel: 347.721.8724; email: [email protected] website: lotusartsmgmt.com

For more information on the company or to join our mailing list visit davidrousseve.com. Follow the company on Instagram @davidroussevereality and David Roussève @davidrousseve. Halfway to Dawn Photo: Rose Eichenbaum Photo: Rose

NOTE

In 1999, after my company’s last appearance at BAM’s Next Wave Festival, a commercial producer approached me about rewriting, choreographing, and directing the musical Rose Colored Glasses that Billy Strayhorn and Luther Henderson began but abandoned in 1956. Although that project did not make it to the stage, I was humbled by Strayhorn’s life path and vowed to someday return to the genius of his music.

Though partly responsible for one of the greatest bodies of work in American music history, Billy Strayhorn (1915—67) remains largely unknown beyond the jazz community. With Halfway to Dawn, I am seeking to excavate the deeper truths of the life of this famously private, out and gay, artist, thinker, and activist. The piece conveys the facts of Strayhorn’s life through a video-projected timeline, while simultaneously exploring the emotional undercurrents of his journey through abstract video art, dance, and his own brilliant music. There is no relationship between the timeline and beyond their tones, textures, and throughlines of emotion.

—David Roussève Halfway to Dawn

MUSIC (in performance order): “Hues” Composed by Billy Strayhorn Recorded music performed by: The Dutch Jazz Published by Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Orchestra; and His Orchestra; The Music Rights Provided Courtesy of Billy Ray Brown Trio; Darius deHaas; Dizzy Gillespie; Strayhorn Songs, Inc. & Oscar Peterson; Stan Getz; Duke Ellington “UMMG” Composed by Billy Strayhorn “Le Sacre Supreme” Published by Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Composed by Billy Strayhorn Music Rights Provided Courtesy of Billy Published by Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Music Rights Provided Courtesy of Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. “I’m Checkin’ Out Goombye” Composed by Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington “Grievin’” Published by Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Composed by Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington Music Rights Provided Courtesy of Billy Published by Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Strayhorn Songs, Inc Music Rights Provided Courtesy of Billy Published by Sony ATV. Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Music Rights Provided Courtesy of Sony ATV Published by Sony ATV. Music Rights Provided Courtesy of Sony ATV “My Little Brown Book” Published by EMI. Composed by Billy Strayhorn Music Rights Provided Courtesy of EMI Published by Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Music Rights Provided Courtesy of Billy “Johnny Come Lately” Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Composed by Billy Strayhorn Published by Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. “Lush Life” Music Rights Provided Courtesy of Billy Composed by Billy Strayhorn Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Published by Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Music Rights Provided Courtesy of Billy “Take the A-Train” Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Composed by Billy Strayhorn Published by Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. “Love Came” Music Rights Provided Courtesy of Billy Composed by Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Published by Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Music Rights Provided Courtesy of Billy “After All” Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Composed by Billy Strayhorn Published by Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. “Blood Count” Music Rights Provided Courtesy of Billy Composed by Billy Strayhorn Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Published by Music Sales Corporation o/b/o itself and Tempo Music Inc “Valse” Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved Composed by Billy Strayhorn Published by Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. “Lotus Blossom” Music Rights Provided Courtesy of Billy Composed by Billy Strayhorn Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Published by Music Sales Corporation o/b/o itself and Tempo Music Inc “Your Love Has Faded” Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved Composed by Billy Strayhorn Published by Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Music Rights Provided Courtesy of Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Photo: Rose Eichenbaum Who’s Who

DAVID ROUSSÈVE (writer, choreographer, its elsewheres are published in several journals director), a choreographer, writer, director, and including The Journal, Women performer, is a magna cum laude graduate & Performance: A Journal of Feminist Theory, of Princeton University and a Guggenheim The Asian American Literary Review, and The Fellow. His dance-theater company REALITY Writing Instructor. Burns’ monograph, Puro has performed throughout the UK, Europe, Arte: Filipinos on the Stages of Empire (Asian South America, and the US, including three American Studies Outstanding Book Award in commissions for BAM’s Next Wave Festival. Cultural Studies 2014), is published by NYU Other commissions include Houston , Press. As a dramaturg, Burns has collaborated Ballet Hispanico, Cleo Parker Robinson, Dancing with notable artists such as David Roussève, R. Wheels, Atlanta Ballet, and Ilkhom Theater of Zamora Linmark, and TeAda Productions. Burns Tashkent, Uzbekistan where Roussève spent is currently at work on Qnoum Kaun Khmer/I am six weeks creating an evening-length work Khmer, a musical/movement performance with surrounding the homoerotic art of Russian mixed-race Cambodian singer/songwriter/dancer painter Usto Mumin. In 2017, Roussève Tiffany Lytle. Among Burns’ writing projects is choreographed Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars Personating Robots, Impersonating Humans, for director Anne Bogart/SITI Company and the a book on the racialization and a robot race. Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; as well as Instagram: @resistancecompanions the piece Enough? for the San Francisco duet company RAWdance, a work that asks whether D. SABELA GRIMES, (sound design) a 2017 dance can address social movements like Black County of Los Angeles Performing Arts Fellow Lives Matter. In June 2018, Enough? was and 2014 Artists Rockefeller performed by Lula Washington Dance Theatre Fellow, is a trans-media storyteller, sonic at the Ford Theatres. Roussève has created ARKivist, and movement composer cultivating a three short , the most recent screening at devoted interest in Afrobiquitous life practices. festivals in 11 countries, receiving 10 awards Grimes has conceived, written, scored, including four for best . Roussève has been choreographed, and produced several dance published in collections by Bantam Press and theater works including BulletProof Deli, plus Rutledge Press, and was twice a fellow in the Philly XP, World War WhatEver, and 40 Acres Sundance Institute’s Screenwriter Lab. Roussève & A Microchip: Salvation or Servitude from his just completed Twit, a feature screenplay based Experiment Earth sound-movement triptych. on his 2014 dance-theater work Stardust. In Recent creative projects include Electrogynous 2017, Twit was a finalist in two best screenplay (2017) and Dark Matter Messages (2018). categories at the Nashville Film Festival and Electrogynous is a dance-theater experience a semi-finalist for the Los Angeles Outfest which articulates that black gender qualities Screenwriter’s Lab. Among others, Roussève’s are infinite, multi-dimensional, and distinct awards include a Bessie Award, Creative manifestations of wombniversal consciousness. Capital Fellowship, three Horton Awards, the Dark Matter Messages is a collection of live CalArts/Herb Alpert Award in Dance, and seven poetry, video projections, and music interwoven consecutive NEA fellowships. At UCLA, Roussève with improvisational movement meditations that is professor of in the Department realize AfroFuturism as a means to play within of World Arts and Cultures/Dance. For the UCLA the nowness of impending futures. Moved by School of the Arts and Architecture he has served how Octavia E. Butler invents interrelated notions as associate dean (2014—15), acting dean of humanness in her Parable Series, Dark (2015), and interim dean (2015—17). Matter Messages dreams Butler’s unfinished manuscript, Parable of the Trickster, into a live L. MSP BURNS’ (dramaturgy) writings on performance experience. On faculty at USC’s the racial politics of performance, on the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, he continues performance of race, about the Philippines and to cultivate Funkamental MediKinetics, a Who’s Who

movement system he created that focuses on Center Theater); Intimate Apparel, Pygmalion, the methodical dance training and community The Heiress (Pasadena Playhouse); Arcadia, building elements evident in hip-hop, black The Doctor’s Dilemma, The Eccentricities of vernacular and forms. grimes loves a Nightingale (A Noise Within); Paradise Lost pancakes, declarative realness, and his kinfolk. (Intiman Theatre); Bars and Measures, Futura, The Pain and the Itch, Tartuffe (The Theatre CHRIS KUHL (lighting design) is a lighting and @ Boston Court); Hedda Gabbler (Antaeus); scenic designer for new performance, theater, and Full Still Hungry (Ford Amphitheater). She dance, and opera. Recent work includes: designed the feature films All Stars and BuzzKill. Stardust (David Roussève); Inflatable Trio Her work has been featured at MoMA, Art Basel (Lionel Popkin); PANG! (Dan Froot); Home Miami, and the 2010 Whitney Biennial. Piehl (BAM, 2017); The Parable of the Sower (The has a BA from UC Berkeley and her MFA in Public Theater); Dog Days (Los Angeles Opera); costume design from CalArts. leahpiehl.com The Object Lesson (BAM, 2014); Edinburgh Festival; Sydney Festival); The Source (San CARI ANN SHIM SHAM (video artistry) is a Francisco Opera, REDCAT, BAM, 2014); The wild artist who captures and floats images and Institute of Memory (Public Theater, T:BA reflects light for movers, screens, and musicians Festival); Straight White Men (Young Jean Lee’s between LA and NYC. She is attracted to Theater Company, The Public Theater, Kaai things that sparkle, is a wild edible mushroom Theater, Centre Pompidou), The Elephant Room hunter, and a collector of antique doorknobs. (St. Ann’s Warehouse); and ABACUS (BAM, She recently directed a music video for Joan 2014; Sundance Film Festival; EMPAC). He Baez’s “The Last Leaf,” is in beta testing on her has received two Bessie Awards, two Ovation interactive inflatable sea anemone Shimmer, and awards and a Sherwood, Drammy, and Horton in pre-production on her first feature film. Her award. He is originally from New Mexico and a favorite place to be is underwater and her current graduate of CalArts. movement practice consists of contact improv and free-diving with wild spotted dolphins in LEAH PIEHL’s (costume design) the Bahamas. Shim Sham is grateful to have recent work includes: Romeo and Juliette her work seen in notable venues around the (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Krapp’s Last world and for it to receive accolades, yet relishes Tape, Underneath the Lintel (); the precious process of making the art and the Kings, Once, The Light in the Piazza, Mr. longtime collaborations the process fosters. She Wolf, The Motherf**ker with the Hat (South is honored to serve as a guide to young artists Coast Rep); Race, Twist Your Dickens (Kirk at NYU Tisch as an Associate Arts Professor of Douglas/Center Theater Group); The Steward Dance & Technology and feels extremely lucky of Christendom (Mark Taper Forum/Center to walk the creative path for so long with David Theatre Group); The Most Deserving (Denver Roussève. cariannshimsham.com Who’s Who

KATELAN BRAYMER (tour management, Carlson, and Tamica Washington-Miller. Brown technical direction) is a lighting designer and received his MFA in choreography from UCLA’s technical director for theater, dance, and opera. Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance Recent designs: You in Midair (Danna Schaeffer); and his BFA from SUNY Purchase. Brown’s Underneath, Silent, Forgotten, Kiss, A Taste of choreography has been presented at Royce Hall, Honey, The Hairy Ape (Odyssey Theatre); MEAT REDCAT, ODC Theater, Highways Performance (Emma Zakes Green); TIM (Brandon Baruch); Space, University of Chicago, Southern Jocasta Project (Ghost Road); Free Outgoing Methodist University, and he choreographed (East West Players); K-A-D-VER (LAPP); Scott Joplin’s opera, Treemonisha, for Skylark ROSEWOOD (Michaela Taylor); Berlin Diary, Opera. Brown is an assistant professor of dance Psychic Utopia (Hand2Mouth Theatre); Excerpts at Sacramento State University and a Certified (Samantha Goodman); and Bi, Lydia, El Payaso Dunham Technique Instructor candidate. The (Milagro). Technical direction on tour: Stardust LA Times has called him “...the incomparable (David Roussève); Inflatable Trio, Ruth Doesn’t Bernard Brown...” Live Here Anymore (Lionel Popkin); PANG! (Dan Froot); Object Lesson (Geoffe Sobelle); and RAYMOND EJIOFOR, a Gates Millennium Half Life (Cloud Eye Control). Selected venues: Fellow, earned a Masters of Public Health Policy Jacob’s Pillow, Theatre, 59E59, from USC and his BS in Decision Science MCA Chicago, On the Boards, SFMoMA, and from Carnegie Mellon University. He began Bootleg Theater. Braymer is the director of his training under Judith Rhodes Calgaro production and lighting for the upcoming Live in Arlington, VA and the Dance Theater of Arts Exchange Festival (LAX) and has been a Harlem. Ejiofor has danced and created works lighting assistant at the LA Opera since 2011. with Daniel Ezralow, Ryan Heffington, Aszure KatelanBraymer.com Barton, Lula Washington, Bryan Arias, Danielle Agami, Sidra Bell, Kyle Abraham, and Robert PERFORMERS Battle. Ejiofor currently collaborates with various companies including Ezralow Dance, Ate9 Dance BERNARD BROWN, a Lester Horton Award and Company, Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Heidi Westfield Emerging Artist Award recipient, has Duckler Dance Theatre, Post:Ballet, and David performed with David Roussève/REALITY, Lula Roussève/REALITY. Some of his credits include Washington Dance Theatre, Doug Elkins Dance the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, MTV VMAs, Company, Shapiro and Smith Dance, and was a Audi, Toshiba, Hermès, Samsung, Apple, Beijing founding member of TU Dance. He was invited Dance Festival, Springboard Danse Montréal, to perform with Mikhail Baryshnikov in Robert Israeli Opera House, and Lincoln Center’s David Wilson’s Letter to a Man (BAM, 2016) with H. Koch Theater. He has performed with artists choreography by Lucinda Childs. He has had such as , Katy Perry, Pharrell, 30 Seconds to the pleasure of working with Donald McKayle, Mars, Little Boots, Fitz and the Tantrums, and Rennie Harris, Rudy Perez, Louis Johnson, Ann Daft Punk. raymondejiofor.com Photo: Rose Eichenbaum

Who’s Who

DEZARÉ FOSTER is native to Cleveland, OH KEVIN LE is native of Los Angeles and graduate where she began her dance studies at Newton D. of UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Baker School of the Arts and Cleveland School of Cultures/Dance. He began his dance training the Arts before joining Cleveland Contemporary at the age of 12 under Jessie Riley’s Westside Dance Theatre (CCDT). CCDT made a guest Dance Project. There he studied and performed appearance in The Wild Party, which led her with choreographers Jessie Riley, Peter Chu, and to becoming a musical theater choreographer. Sonya Tayeh. During his undergraduate studies In 2007, Foster joined the Dancing Wheels at UCLA, he had the privilege of performing with Company, performing and touring for over David Roussève/REALITY in venues throughout seven years in collaboration with various the US that include Jacob’s Pillow, Krannert choreographers. She has also performed in Center, and REDCAT. Since 2013, he has Dianne McIntyre’s why I had to dance; Cleveland been touring with Kevin Williamson’s The Lost Cavaliers’ Scream Team; and multiple years Boys and Trophy, performing in Beijing, San at Cleveland Public Theatre’s Pandemonium. Francisco, Austin, and NYC. Currently, Le is a In 2015, Foster moved to Ga’aton, for dance instructor and choreographer working in the Kibbutz Company’s the South Bay of Los Angeles. MASA Program. After returning home, she choreographed Labyrinth: A Tribute on the JULIO MEDINA is an artist from Los Angeles. Dancing Wheels Company and performed in His work draws from various movement styles Northwest Dance Project’s LAUNCH Program such as breaking, Latin social dances, and in Portland, OR. Dezaré Foster is starting her , engaging mediums such as third season as a company member with David movement, film, and text. Medina studied Roussève/REALITY in Los Angeles. hip-hop on the concert stage and earned his MFA at UCLA’s Department of World Arts & JASMINE JAWATO, born and raised in El Cultures/Dance. Beforehand, Medina completed Segundo, CA, studied dance at the Studio Art his BA in Dance and Movement Studies at of Dance in her hometown before receiving her Emory University as a Quest Bridge Scholar. undergraduate degree from the Department of While there, he was a member of StaibDance World Arts and Cultures/Dance at UCLA. Jawato Company until 2013. In 2009, Medina founded has performed both nationally and abroad for TrickaNomeTry (TNT) Dance Crew, a hip-hop Michel Kouakou, David Roussève, and Kevin crew that continues to perform in the Atlanta Williamson and continues to teach dance and community. Medina is delighted to be an yoga in El Segundo. She is currently pursuing her assistant professor of dance at State multiple subject teaching credential to integrate University, Long Beach where he teaches hip- her performing arts education into the classroom hop and modern dance. curriculum. Jawato is excited to be dancing in her second piece for Roussève and with this wonderful cast. Photo: Yannick Grandmont Who’s Who Roussève/REALITY andtouredthestateswith graduation, Poirier wasinvitedtojoinDavid Cultures/Dance andCommunications.Upon cum laudewithBAdegreesinWorld and Arts whereshegraduatedmagna to attendUCLA, Columbus, OH, movedtoLos Angelesin2008 LEANNE IACOVETTA POIRIER,originallyfrom Los Angeles. Cultures/Dance fromtheUniversityofCalifornia, Creative Work. SheholdsaBAinWorld and Arts Performance Space,andtheWomen’s Centerfor ,HonorFraser Gallery, Pieter Gallery,LACE Los AngelesMunicipalGallery, Beach House,HighwaysPerformance Space, works atREDCAT, AnnenbergCommunity andpresentedshared Mohr hasalsoperformed Festival. MostlyMozart for LincolnCenter’s HallandwithLouis Langrée Disney Concert MASS withMaestroGustavoDudamelatWalt Pulitzer inhernewproductionofBernstein’s New York, shewashonoredtojoinElkhanah Garcia, andAlexxShilling.Currentlybasedin Prévieux, VictoriaMarks,ElizabethLeister, Maria House,LionelPopkin,LEI ,No)One.Art Julien Bruno, NinaWaisman, andFloraWiegmann | Roussève, LaurelJenkins,JayCarlon, Rebecca withDavid she collaboratedasaperformer yogainstructor.certified Whenin Los Angeles, choreographer,is abody-basedartist, and SAMANTHA MOHR,aCalifornianative, Laban/Bartenieff MovementAnalyst. Laban/Bartenieff World andCultures/Danceisa certified Arts MFA inchoreography fromUCLA’s of Department and GeffenPlayhouse.Williamson receivedhis Theatre Company, Washington NationalOpera, Yale Theater, Repertory Atlantic OperaUCLA, opera/theater projectsforTheJuilliardSchool, Universityandchoreographed Loyola Marymount DanceCompanyand Contemporary works forLA Dance Festival. Williamson hascreatedoriginal Austin’s OUTsider Festival, andtheBeijing Festival, DixonPlace,CounterPulse, LACMA, Danspace Project, REDCAT’s NewOriginalWorks works havebeenpresentedatvenuesincluding Award Finalist,Sherwood Williamson’s dance Educators Fellow, andCenterTheatreGroup AwardCollege. ALester recipient,Bates Horton andassistantprofessorofdanceatScripps artist movement KEVIN WILLIAMSONisanLA-based with herhusband.Leanneiacovetta.com Institute. ShecurrentlyresidesinCharlotte,NC Summer Dance/Performingof theUCLA Arts taught dancefor10yearsandistheco-director Flourish Foundation forthreeyears.Poirier has asprogramdirectorforthe She alsoserved Roussève/REALITY, withadministrativeneeds. and dancecompanies,includingDavid non-profitorganizations, assisting selectartists, Poirier administration, worksactivelyinarts Stardust (2014).Besidesdancingprofessionally,